Perspective

Confession

When I first read about the earthquake in China, I was alarmed, but not necessarily concerned. Perhaps I have the opposite, yet equally errant bias of those I criticize regarding the Burma issue (see post In Our World). It’s so much easier for me to sympathize with the poor and oppressed rather than the wealthy and independent. But that doesn’t make it right. It only took one picture of children trapped under the rubble of their own school building to make me realize the devastating extent of this tragedy. As of today the number of deaths has risen to 15,000. Please pray for China.

Stories and Updates following the Earthquake

In Our World

There is so much happening in the world right now. I like to use this blog to inform my readers of things that might not get much coverage on CNN or Fox News. These things are significant and may be mentioned in the American news, but let’s be honest and admit that Obama and Hilary are dominating the headlines these days.
To the North of me, war could be possibly breaking out in Lebanon once again (see link under Headlines). I ask that you pray for the people of Beirut and Tripoli, the cities being affected. Lebanon has had so little time of peace in the last 20 years. In fact, the last war that broke out in Lebanon was during the summer I spent here in 2006. People poured into Amman to escape the violence and instability. The government desperately needs to negotiate with Hezbollah and bring peace to their country once and for all.
The situation in Sudan worsens by the day. A few weeks ago the government attacked a school, killing a number of children. The rebel forces, despite their name, are actually fighting for justice and equality in the region of Darfur. They are making progress as they gain momentum towards the capital, Khartoum, but of course the increase in combat brings more death and danger to the innocent villagers that are the greatest victims of the genocide.
Finally, there is Burma (Myanmar). I feel some sort of attachment to these people after working with many of them in Atlanta at World Relief. Their government has abused and discriminated against them with dictatorial rule. Peaceful protesters are jailed, and many people of minority groups find help only in refugee camps in Thailand. After the cyclone hit last week, the government proved to be even more heartless and irrational by not allowing aid workers in to help the one million displaced survivors. Over 100,000 people died from the flooding and lack of food and supplies in the days after. What disturbs me most is the lack of movement across the globe. Close to 2,000 people died from hurricane Katrina. It was broad casted all over the world. Various organizations, families, and individuals raised and donated money to the Red Cross. I just wonder how people are okay with putting a higher value on American lives than the lives of common villagers in a less significant nation like Myanmar. The loss there is so much greater, yet only a handful of people seem to really care. The Burmese people affected by this cyclone are intelligent people with lives and jobs and families. Their government won’t even help them, so we must. Please pray for the survivors of the cyclone and consider donating toward a relief fund.

More info on Helping Cyclone Survivors
Background info on Burmese Government
Map of Cyclone Damage

A Review

I have a plethora of foreign, independent, and obscure films available to me here. When I want to learn about something other than Arab culture, my collection of DVD’s provides worthwhile entertainment. Most recently I watched Kundun. This film by Martin Scorsese tells the story of the 14th (current) Dalai Lama’s life from his birth until he was exiled from Tibet to India. With Tibet and China being in the spot light right now, I decided to find out more about the figure of the Dalai Lama.

As the movie explains, the Dalai Lama was believed to be reincarnated into each of its predecessors. The 14th Dalai Lama was found as a child and discovered by Tibetan monks to be the reincarnated leader of Tibet. The boy became a monk and was trained until we was meant to take leadership at the age of 18. Around that time China decided to take over Tibet.

There is a variety of interesting things about this movie. One is its relevance. The tension between China and Tibet right now trace back to the time frame of this movie. From what I could gather, China wanted control of Tibet’s territory because it would benefit them economically, as has proven true. China, however, was and is secular, while Tibetans are deeply religious Buddhists. The Chinese didn’t want the Dalai Lama to hinder their progress, so they drove him out.
Secondly, the film is extremely artistic in the way it portrays the Tibetan culture. Scorsese showcases the people, colors, costumes, traditions, music, chants, and landscape of the people beautifully. He obviously appreciates the novelty of the entire culture.
I was particularly fascinated by the spiritual aspect of the entire film. The fact that an entire nation would stand behind a little boy that is a supposed replica of a previous man is pretty extraordinary. Of course I found this somewhat saddening. The fact that the monks in particular dedicated their entire lives to a child they thought to be someone else is a little disillusioning; nevertheless, it is pretty intriguing.
Overall, this is a good film. It is informative and aesthetically pleasing, but just a little long.